The invention relates to a prefabricated construction system for the building of a timber house with a modular construction method wherein rectangular panel elements of a box-type construction are provided as essential elements of the construction system.
Such a prefabricated construction system is described in an article entitled "Transportable Leicht-Holzhauser" [Transportable Lightweight Timber Houses] published in the "Baumarkt Leipzig" magazine, 34. volume 1935, page 1476. There, the wall elements connected to each other via tongue and groove joints are placed on a continuous track so that they can be oriented in alignment with each other and that an overall stabilization occurs. The track consists of a lower strip with a rectangular cross section with a narrower, truncated cone-shaped, profiled strip being centrally placed on the upper side of the lower strip and being connected to the lower strip. The lower receiving region of the panel element has a receiving profile that corresponds to the profile of the truncated cone-shaped narrower strip and thus the desired orienting function is accomplished.
This known construction, however, has several drawbacks: On the one hand, a lower strip with a truncated cone-shaped receiving element on the panel element must be affixed as a separate construction element. On the other hand, the base strip must be provided with the truncated cone-shaped, narrower strip; these three strips must be made separately and be connected to the relevant members. In a addition, a longitudinal joint is created on the finished wall, i.e., between the upper edge of the base strip and the lower edge of the panel element. Such longitudinal joints are a drawback because, on the one hand, they diminish the heat insulation and, on the other, for aesthetic reasons.
Furthermore, the abutting panel elements are connected to each other by rods that are inserted into the grooves. This, too, is expensive.
A corresponding design is also provided for at the top of the wall elements and leads to the aforementioned drawbacks there, as well.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,129,441 describes a similar prefabricated construction system wherein the panel elements can be connected to each other with a modular construction method via a tongue and groove joint. On the upper and lower side of the panels described, the solid girders are set back vis-a-vis the panels by a certain measure, which creates continuous receiving elements in longitudinal direction on the top and bottom of the panel elements. These receiving elements serve to connect the panel elements to other constructive elements of the construction system.
There, the tongue-and-groove joint is achieved by simply shifting the solid wood girders vis-a-vis the panels placed on top of the girders, just like in the present invention.
DE 83 09 825 U1 also describes a prefabricated construction system with panel elements of a box-type construction. Here, the continuous girders have an I-section made of solid wood. It is, however, very expensive to make such sections. The manufacture also produces much waste.
Another construction system, also of timber construction, is described in EP 0 072 839 B1. Here, the wall elements that are erected in alignment with each other are connected to each other with rods which are inserted into corresponding receiving elements (grooves) at the lateral edges of the panel elements abutting against each other. Thus, apart from the box-shaped panel elements, additional construction elements are needed, namely the aforementioned connecting rods.
WO 88/03978 describes another construction system wherein the panel elements are connected to each other via additional transoms inserted into slots arranged in transverse direction to the panel elements. The transoms thus violate the outer skin of the panel elements. The transoms serve as abutment for the screw joints of the abutting panel elements. Here it is also difficult to tighten the screw joint nuts because they are not openly accessible and no workable solution is offered for this problem.
EP 0 197 958 B1 describes a construction system in which the continuous girders are provided with bores that are in alignment with each other through which supply lines can be passed. Thus, for each supply line, a system of bores that are in alignment with each other must be provided, which is expensive. Even more disadvantageous is the fact that the supply lines must be threaded through the bores, as it were, which is difficult to achieve in situ. This threading must take place before the panelling is affixed to the panel elements. In these places the required heat insulation can no longer be installed.
The German published patent application 1 219 653 describes another prefabricated timber construction system wherein the panel elements abutting against one another are connected to each other via bolts whose heads are oblong-shaped. This means that the panel elements must be provided with corresponding slots so that the bolts with their oblong-shaped heads can be passed through. The bolts are then turned by 90.degree. to prevent them from slipping out of the slots and, finally, they are tightened. It is, however, more difficult to produce such oblong-shaped slots than holes with circular cross sections which can be made by simple drilling.